Indian-origin Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan, elected to the Scottish Parliament last week, has drawn criticism after supporting demands for compensation for Palestinians funded by Scottish taxpayers.Manivannan, who represents the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list, supported a manifesto issued by the group Art Workers for Palestine Scotland ahead of the Holyrood election.The document urged a future Scottish government to introduce a “programme of restorative justice” for Palestinians and to examine Scotland’s historical ties to “the colonization and occupation of Palestine”.Manivannan, who describes himself as a “queer Tamil immigrant”, was elected as part of the pro-independence Scottish Greens.The MSP’s election had already sparked political debate when reports emerged that Manivannan was in the UK on a student visa, raising questions about whether his immigration status would cover the entire parliamentary term.Under current UK immigration rules, elected office in devolved legislatures such as Holyrood is not treated as standard employment, allowing student visa holders to work as MSPs.However, Manivannan may need to secure a graduate or Global Talent visa to remain eligible during the five-year period.Rachel Hamilton, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, told The Telegraph: “Ordinary Scots will be astonished that these Green MSPs are not only associated with an organization pushing anti-Semitic policies, but advocating that taxpayers pick up the tab for a misguided virtue-signalling stunt.”Hamilton said, “It seems the new intake of Green MSPs are even more extreme than those who went before them. The idea of John Swinney having to deal with these crackpots is really scary.”The support also sparked criticism on social media, where many users questioned why Scottish taxpayers should fund Palestine-related compensation.“What’s wrong with these people? Why should any UK taxpayer have to fund Palestinian compensation,” one user wrote on Twitter.Another user commented: “Welcome to Scotland 2026, where identity politics trumps local needs and the taxpayer is just an ATM for global grievances.”A third user criticized the MSP’s political priorities, writing: “His first priority is not the people of Scotland.”The Scottish Greens’ official election manifesto supported broader international discussions around compensation linked to colonialism, although it did not specifically commit to compensation for Palestinians.The controversy has reignited political debate over immigration rules in Scotland and whether temporary visa holders should be allowed to stand for elected office.Reform UK’s Malcolm Offord previously told The Telegraph he would support barring foreign students from standing as MSPs after the rules were changed to allow temporary visa holders to contest elections.